Treating Children Fairly Does Not Necessarily Mean Equally
Most parents want to treat their children fairly in their estate planning, and many assume that means having their children inherit equally. But fair does not necessarily mean equal. There may be special circumstances to consider. For example, parents may want...Defensive Estate Planning Series: Other Areas to Consider
Other Areas to Consider There are many other changing circumstances that should be anticipated with flexible estate plan design. These include qualifying for California Medi-Cal benefits through authorizing the gifting down of incapacitated individual’s estate;...Defensive Estate Planning Series: Changes in Estate Tax Law
Estate tax laws will change significantly over the next few years. As of this writing, the estate tax exemption amount (the amount that can be transferred at death without tax) will be $1 Million in 2013 and later years. At any time, Congress could change this...Defensive Estate Planning Series: Changing Marital Status
What happens when a trust is set up during the lifetime of a surviving spouse, and that spouse later remarries? Spousal trusts are often established in order to minimize estate tax or to provide a stream of income to the spouse during lifetime. Upon death of the...Defensive Estate Planning Series: Special Needs
In the world of estate planning, the best offense to changes in the law and life circumstances is usually a good defense. Rather than running to court or the drafting attorney each time a crisis occurs, estate plans can be drafted “defensively,” such that several...
John C. Martin
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Recent Posts
- Talking to Your Family About Your Estate Plan
- John Martin Speaks on Estate Planning : Protecting Your Legacy
- John Martin Speaks on Advanced Estate Planning
- Estate Planning with Real Estate after Proposition 19
- John Martin recently quoted in Charles Wallace’s article on Digital Wills and the importance of managing passwords
- KGO Radio Interview with John Martin
- Through Menlo Park Kiwanis, John Martin Helps Award $50,000 in College Scholarships
- Federal Tax Reform is Coming. Are you Ready?
- California Asset Protection Laws are Changing. Is Your Current Trust Adequate?
- Tune in on 7/19 at 7pm for a Live Radio Discussion on the Prevention of Financial Elder Abuse